Who Am I?

Well, inquisitive reader, let me answer. I am a wife, a mom and I have chronic bad hair. I like made uppy words and Unnecessary Capitalization. If you know who the guy in the bottom right picture is, you're probably my best friend. Also, I own several Edward dolls which I write about HERE. No, I don't use drugs. By the way, if your love canned tomatoes, visit my stash HERE.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Taking a break, wearing jammies and Nick Jonas, or what I did on my weekend

I tell you what, you use the words "I unplugged for the weekend" and you're going to get all kinds of responses.

There's the gasp:  *GASP*  I could never do that!

There's the grim look of despair:  *Grim look and a nod* (Translation:  that's just what I need to do.)

There's the grunt:  *Grunt.* (Translation:  Dude, who cares?)

See, here's what happened.  My kids were out of school for two days and as I've pestered my inlaws to babysit so many bazillion times I figured I would cut everyone a big break and just take some vacation days and stay home with them.  Then we were out for Presidents Day.  That means I spend a grand total of 5 days at home.  With my kids. 

Now, some of you precious readers are stay at home moms.  So you're reading this going, dude, this is old hat for me, what's the big deal? 

And some of you precious readers are working moms.  And you're going, please God let me have a break from work before I stab someone in the eyeball.

I know.  Because that was me.  All prepared to stab someone in the eyeball. 

When you're a working mom, a whole lot gets sacrificed.  Your time is given away to some nameless, thankless workplace that tends to suck the joy and life from the very marrow of your bones. I think I understand why people drink.  They're trying to replenish all that joy and life from their dry marrow.  I myself am not a drinker.  And Diet Coke just isn't cutting it. Neither are the Reese's Cups. 

Your vision of how you want your life to look is sacrificed.  It morphs instead to just surviving. 

And for me, my energy to engage with my kids is sacrificed.  Because when I finally get home and am faced with my kids, I am tired.  I've not been running a marathon all day, but mentally, my brain is pudding.  There's not a lot left to offer.

So.  A break was just what I needed. 

There's only one problem.  See, I live on this farm.  Throw a rock and you'll hit a cow or a horse or some kid learning to ride a horse or some kid herding a cow or a pile of manure from the animal variety.  A farm.  And our little abode doesn't get innernets.  The only window to the online world is through our iPhones (iPreciouses).  Except, using an iPhone to do normal typey type activities online is akin to using a calculator to write a dissertation.  It's way hard.  It's exhausting. 

So.

I chose to ditch it all.  I managed to throw a crappy blog together in 3 minutes flat whilst waiting for my Hubs in the Apple store on Friday.  And then I managed to pump out a little sumpin on Monday riddled with enough HTML to make me cuss a storm. 

And that was it.  I broke that annoying tether to a machine that I was convinced held all kinds of importance.  I wasn't running to my yahoo to see who was online to chat with.  I wasn't running to the Twitters, to attempt a witty awesome to die for 140 character statement.  I wasn't trying to come up with snappy statuses for Facebook. 

I just took a break. 

I read.  I read a lot.  I watched random movies with my kids.  I washed loads of laundry.  I let my brain rest. 

It was nice. 

And you know what I discovered?  I discovered:

1.  Jammies really are comfy for day wear.

2.  Nick Jonas is kind of a cutie.  Curse you, Disney channel and inane movies like Camp Rock.  Curse you.

3.  Books are my crack.

4.  I won't cry when I leave this job.

5.  My kids make me want to drink sometimes. 

6.  I really needed this break.

7.  I only think in lists, apparently.

8.  I feel all zen-like and full of peacenessosity.

9.  Weird that this was the way I lived not even ten years ago.

10.  I can live without a computer.

So.  My question, you few and faithfully readers, would you consider taking a break from it all?  How would you let your brain rest?

11 comments:

Vanessa said...

I started to think about going unplugged while reading this, and my hands started to shake. Which probably means I ought to do it.

Spring Break is in March, I wonder if I could last a week...

For the record -- I am a SAHM and I don't often spend the day in my jammies. I am considering repeating Pajama Day on the Tuesday of Spring Break again this year though...

Sara said...

I am a SAHM, w/o the kids and I usually just change from pj's to yoga pants. Which are just fancier pj's. Also I had one perfect storm week where there was no car, our new computer hadn't come yet and my cell phone died. I thought the end must be drawing near.....

Creative Junkie said...

Yes, yes I would.

I'm a SAHM but I spend so much time on my blog and networking, hoping to parlay it into some sort of income to help us out, that it has basically become a job. And it's hard to hold down a job, especially one that pays squat, and raise two kids and maintain a household and yes, my kids are in school all day but you know what? That means I'm up at dawn with the kids and then my day starts when they leave, when I have those school hours to get everything done that needs to get done (grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, cooking, errands, dr. appts, blah blah blah) because once 3:00 pm hits? It's a cyclone of homework and projects and sports and meetings, ad nauseum until at least 8:00 which is when we sometimes wind up having dinner. And through it all, I try to maintain a constant online presence. It is simply exhausting.

Yes, I would like to unplug for a bit. Without worrying that by doing so, I'm sacrificing everything I've worked so hard for up to now.

However, if I ever get to the point that I think one of the Jonas Brothers is tolerable? Not only will I ask that you unplug me, I will demand that you shoot me.

The Four Week Vegan said...

I would love to take a break from it all because as a SAHM that homeschools, I am surrounded at all times. Really, I am trying to figure a way that hubby and I can get away for a couple of days next month (our anniversary month) - we both need a break.

Shell said...

I would need a break from it ALL- which would include Hubs, the kids, the house, everything. That, I could do.

Unknown said...

Actually, after I started thinking about it in a not so dirteh sort of way..ahem..I think I prolly need to unplug too for a week or so..yep..a week. I don't work outside the house anymore but I do work...24/7 and yesterday and today were hard truths that perhaps I do need a vacation...

Plain and simple your a mom...whether you work outside the home or no...we all need a break from time to time...now how the heck do I tear myself away from this damn computer?!

Loving Wife, Working Mom said...

I call my best friend in Georgia and plan the 4 hour trip leaving rest of the brood home. She tells her husband that he is in charge and we spend 6 hours getting a "pedicure" to then drop a bag of food on her counter for her family and lock ourselves in the basement with a bottle of wine...

The Retired One said...

I have done this but I did go through withdrawal for a few days...and then when I got back to it I got all stressed about how much I missed when I was away on the blogs...sigh....
it is an addiction!

Insanitykim said...

I am happy you at least played scrabble. You know I am hopelessly addicted. And that I hate street clothes. Well, jeans and stuff like that. I prefer jammies. And yeah, I hate street clothes.

What am I trying to say?

robin said...

i say we orchestrate a mass shut down. we all take a break for like 2 weeks. what keeps me online is the fear that i will miss out on stuff. so if we all sign off there will be nothing that i miss out on. what do ya say?

Stephanie said...

LOL Love this:) Oh and 3 bucks for breakfast made for you. Totally worth it!

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